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Dividend reductions, the timing of dividend payments and information content

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Listed author(s):
  • Balachandran, Balasingham
  • Krishnamurti, Chandrasekhar
  • Theobald, Michael
  • Vidanapathirana, Berty

Abstract

Australian companies pay dividends semi-annually with smaller “interim” payments and larger “final” payments. Interim dividends are declared and paid within a less full information environment than final dividends. We analyze the interactions between the timing of dividends and their information content, controlling for share repurchase and tax effects. Dividend reductions that are not associated with share repurchases are statistically significantly related to future abnormal earnings and provide strong support for the information content of dividend reductions. The percentage of dividend reduction is stronger for interim than for final dividend reductions. The market reaction is negatively related to the reduction in imputation tax credit and reacts more aggressively and negatively to interim as compared to final dividend reductions.

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Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Corporate Finance.

Volume (Year): 18 (2012)
Issue (Month): 5 ()
Pages: 1232-1247

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Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:18:y:2012:i:5:p:1232-1247
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2012.08.002
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcorpfin

Keywords: Price reactions; Australia; Dividend reductions; Information content; Franked and unfranked; Interim and final;

Find related papers by JEL classification:

  • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
  • G35 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Payout Policy

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  1. Sudipto Bhattacharya, 1980. "Nondissipative Signaling Structures and Dividend Policy," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 95(1), pages 1-24.
  2. Miller, Merton H & Rock, Kevin, 1985. " Dividend Policy under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1031-1051, September.
  3. Cannavan, Damien & Finn, Frank & Gray, Stephen, 2004. "The value of dividend imputation tax credits in Australia," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 167-197, July.
  4. Healy, Paul M. & Palepu, Krishna G., 1988. "Earnings information conveyed by dividend initiations and omissions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 149-175, September.
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    • Allen, Franklin & Michaely, Roni, 2003. "Payout policy," Handbook of the Economics of Finance,in: G.M. Constantinides & M. Harris & R. M. Stulz (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Finance, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 7, pages 337-429 Elsevier.
  7. Jensen, Gerald R. & Lundstrum, Leonard L. & Miller, Robert E., 2010. "What do dividend reductions signal?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 736-747, December.
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  10. Michaely, Roni & Thaler, Richard H & Womack, Kent L, 1995. " Price Reactions to Dividend Initiations and Omissions: Overreaction or Drift?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(2), pages 573-608, June.
  11. Benartzi, Shlomo & Michaely, Roni & Thaler, Richard H, 1997. " Do Changes in Dividends Signal the Future or the Past?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(3), pages 1007-1034, July.
  12. Grullon, Gustavo & Paye, Bradley & Underwood, Shane & Weston, James P., 2011. "Has the Propensity to Pay Out Declined?," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(01), pages 1-24, March.
  13. John, Kose & Williams, Joseph, 1985. " Dividends, Dilution, and Taxes: A Signalling Equilibrium," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1053-1070, September.
  14. Lie, Erik, 2005. "Operating performance following open market share repurchase announcements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 411-436, September.
  15. Gustavo Grullon & Roni Michaely & Shlomo Benartzi & Richard H. Thaler, 2005. "Dividend Changes Do Not Signal Changes in Future Profitability," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(5), pages 1659-1682, September.
  16. Erik Lie, 2001. "Detecting Abnormal Operating Performance: Revisited," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 30(2), Summer.
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Cited by:

  1. Scott Walker, 2015. "Repeated Dividend Increases: A Collection of Four Essays," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 17, November.
  2. Amin, Abu S. & Dutta, Shantanu & Saadi, Samir & Vora, Premal P., 2015. "Institutional shareholding and information content of dividend surprises: Re-examining the dynamics in dividend-reappearance era," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 152-170.

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